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Any or all of these things could be considered "dirty"...if you have a dirty mind! Careful, contains nudity...but only of statues!

First up for Carl's challenge is Blood and Chocolate, by Annette Curtis Klause.

Started reading this Friday night when I went to bed, read for a bit, slept, and finished on Saturday. Quick read, easy to get through, interesting. BUT...I'm surprised this book is specifically for ages 13 and up, what with all the rough sex hinted at (and not very obliquely). Hmmm...

It reminded me very much of Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire mysteries; the werewolves in those books are similar...rough, biker types, etc.

Still and all, I liked it and am interested, after reading the excerpt included in this book, another of Ms. Klause's books, The Silver Kiss, which is about vampires.

Short Story Sunday Peril No. 1: "Sredni Vashtar", from the book, "More Tales to Tremble By"

Who or what is Sredni Vashtar, you might ask? Well...I'll tell you a bit about him.

He belonged to a boy named Conradin. Conradin was 10 years old and not long for this world. Because of this, Conradin had quite the imagination...or WAS it imagination? Sredni, who looked like a ferret, lived in a disused tool shed, in a forgotten corner of dull, cheerless garden of a once stately home.

Mrs. De Ropp, Conradin's cousin and guardian, took only the most basic care of Conradin. SHE had no imagination whatsoever. Conradin would pray to the great god Sredni Vashtar, "Do one thing for me, Sredni Vashtar." over and over. One day, as Conradin prayed to Sredni Vashtar, long minutes passed by. Starlings ran and flew in little parties across the lawn; finally, Sredni Vashtar granted Conradin's wish.

Later that day, the maid said: "Tea is ready; where is Mistress De Ropp? Conradin replied: "She went down to the shed some time ago."

And while the maid went to summon her mistress to tea, Conradin fished a toasting fork our of the sideboard drawer and proceeded to toast himself a piece of bread. The loud, foolish screaming of the maid made him smile; then he heard someone say "Whoever will break this news to the poor child"? Conradin smiled...and made himself another piece of toast.

You wouldn't want to run afoul of Conradin and Sredni Vashtar!

Friday night, I had plans but due to a miscommunication, they fell through. What were my plans? I wanted, had been CRAVING to walk on the beach! Dip my toes in the water, let the salt water soak my tattoo. Oh well! No worries, I was going to the beach the next night, I could do it then, right?

Saturday: Went up to Hampton Beach to see Louis Black, a comedian my friend Pat loves. Have you ever heard of him? He does political based comedy mostly, with liberal use of the eff word sprinkled throughout. He was pretty damn funny, especially when he was talking about Santa Claus running for president! Afterwards, I got to walk on the beach, but alas...it was waaaaaaaay low tide and I didn't feel like walking miles and miles to dip my toe in. Here's the picture I promised Rus; people working on Labor Day weekend:

Sunday: Drove Pat up to her new home in NH. Nice ride, we got sandwiches and ate lunch with her husband once we arrived. Then we walked around the neighborhood, checking out the new construction and lamenting the fact that they'd be paving her road. She likes it the way it is, and I don't blame her! Afterward, I was going to call my cousin as I was in the neighborhood, but I plugged in my address to my navigator and forgot I had it on "Simple". It took me all backroads MOST of the way home! I didn't so much mind, there was lots to see and not too much traffic. On the way, my plans for the evening fell through (sensing a pattern here?) and I was a bit upset, as I'd've stayed at Pat's if not for the plans. When I got home, another friend called and asked me to meet her for drinks, which I did and we had a great time!

Today? I finished another book for Carl's challenge this morning, I'm going to clean, do some wash, take Dad out for breakfast, and crack another book. Thank you, Carl, for getting me to read again! I only just returned my faulty TiVo Saturday, so I don't expect the new one for awhile.

How's your long weekend been (for those of you that have one!)?

If you'd like to play, click here!

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Scrabble :: Colleen
2. NyQuil :: licorice
3. Roadtrip :: Yahoo!
4. Idiot :: stupid
5. Bandages :: mummy
6. Series :: Heroes
7. Summer :: Summer (Andy Pratt)
8. Prompt :: late
9. September :: has broken
10. Chicken :: lips

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

And this is what it was cropped from:

Some little critter nibbled one of the plum tomatoes from my garden!

Ok, I'll admit...this one was pretty gross!!! To me, it looked like an empty eye socket *shudder*

My cousin, Mel, was the first to get it right: A tomato !!!!"

Also:

Jo: "...A tomato. perhaps one bitten by a squirrel or a worm." She's a chef, she should know!

L-Squared: "...makes me think of a slice of tomato in a salad..."

Bob-kat: "...I'm going with tomato with the seeds removed."

Robin: "A tomato! No wait - it's a roasted pepper! (she ultimately went with roasted pepper, but I'll give her credit ;-)

Laurie L.: "I believe it is a tomato, possibly munched on by a slug or snail"

As always, thanks for playing! By the way, all photos used in What Is It Wednesday are marked as "private" in my flickr account...that's so no one can view the picture at a bigger size to get a better look!

So this week...

What is it?

Thirteen Things I love about A Girl Must Shop

I've finished with the alphabet, and decided on a new theme...highlighting a blog I love each week! First up is A Girl Must Shop:

As girls, we must shop. It's in our DNA, we're sure of it! You do too, and that's why we're all here. A Girl Must Shop is a Web site devoted to serving the interests of hip, trendy gals who can appreciate the treasures that a shopping excursion can unearth, but don't have the time to discover all the riches that exist We scour the great, vast Internet, read all the latest magazines, discover some unique shops, then check out all the sales and bring the best selections to you. With A Girl Must Shop, you'll have the inside scoop on everything a girl could possibly want!

1. It's pretty! I love the color scheme and it's easy to navigate.
2. With so many points of view (11 contributers), it's easy to find something new, different and interesting!
3. There's a monthly newsletter and if you sign up for it, you can WIN things!
4. The woman who runs it, Megan, is looking for a few good writers who like to scour the internet, looking for good deals, hip things, etc.
5. Do you like perfumes? Read this
6. Do you like chocolate? Read this
7. Do you like jewelry and other accessories? Read this
8. Do you like kitchen things? Read this
9. Do you like bargains? Read this
10. It's written in such a way that it's like listening to your girlfriends tell you about something new they found.
11. Looking for a special gift for someone? You'll be sure to find it at A Girl Must Shop!
12. Halloween's on its way...here are some ideas
13. Finally, stop by and check out A Girl Must Shop. You'll be glad you did!
Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It's easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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This Thursday, over at Photo Thursday at Create a Connection we have a new hostess: Becca!

Becca says: This week, post either your favorite back to school or Fall photo's. Let's see those kids with their new school clothes or your favorite parts of the upcoming Fall season.

Since I don't have kids, I'll post some shots of my favorite parts of Autumn!

First off, PUMPKINS!!!

I adore pumpkins, in fact, I saw my FIRST jackolantern (ok, too early, but still) on the way home from work today! I swear! I'll try to get a picture of it tomorrow, it was in someone's back yard LOL!

Next, blue skies and beautiful foliage, like this:

and this:

Finally...my favorite holiday, right at the tall end of Autumn:

Halloween!

Why?

Cause it makes me scream:

Did you play?

If you play, please link back to me and leave me a comment letting me know you played, so I can come visit!

1. I admire _____.
2. I crave _____.
3. I dislike _____.
4. I enjoy _____.
5. I wonder _____.
6. I want _____.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____!

1. I admire strength, emotional and physical.
2. I crave salty foods.
3. I dislike drama.
4. I enjoy hiking through the woods with my dogs.
5. I wonder what my life would be like if I had been able to have children.
6. I want [edited for content].
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to sitting on my new couch, in my clean living room, reading my book (deep into the Twilight series now), with my dogs, laptop & phone keeping me company, tomorrow my plans include taking Dad to the wedding of one of his adopted grandkids and Sunday, I want to read, walk the dogs, see what comes up!

Have a great weekend!

I took Dad to the wedding of his "adopted" granddaughter today. As we were driving down the highway, we noticed the sky was getting dark and saw a couple flashes of lightning. Cool, right?

The wedding was outside.

Outside...by a lake.

And the wind started blowing

And no one cared :-)

Hopefully, they'll live happily ever after :-)

This lovely woman nominated me for a "Nice Matters Award"!

"This award is for those bloggers who are nice people, good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence in our blogging world. Once you've been awarded, please pass it on to 7 people who you feel are deserving."

Now that you've picked yourself up off the floor and stopped laughing quite so hard, can we go on please?

I was happy to think she thinks I'm nice; if any of you have been so unlucky as to know what goes on at my work, you'll understand why.

So, thanks, Finn, for this honor, it made me smile :-)

Now...I get to nominate 7 people that I think are nice, which will be hard, because...well, just because!

1. Heather: I've never heard her say a bad word about anyone. Maybe she does...but I still think she's nice!
2. My cousin: She's an amazing woman, and the thing is...she doesn't know it! She is the epitome of nice, again, never a bad word about anyone. And she works her REAR off for her loved ones, human and animal.
3. Laura: She's kind, caring and can be a bit selfless...but if she keeps talking to me, that might change ;)
4. Lisa: She says she's stubborn and whatnot, but she's always nice to me! She's a photographer, too, and seems to enjoy my pictures as much as I enjoy hers!
5. Michele Agnew; she'll kill me for saying so, but I think she's extremely nice and kind and she has such interesting and sometimes thought provoking prompts and entries on her blog.
6. Rampant Bicycle: She's always been very nice to me, makes me feel welcome on her blog and she has the most interesting links!
7. Turquoise Waters: A fellow Snape-a-holic and an amazing woman.

Thanks, again, Finn, for thinking I'm nice ;)

If you'd like to play, click here!

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Dork :: not nice
2. Refurbished :: computer
3. Basket :: of gifts
4. Mousse :: yuck
5. Studio :: sessions
6. 8 ball :: black
7. Masking tape :: carton
8. Love :: the Beatles
9. Wilder :: Gene
10. Lindsey :: Buckingham

I was at work, and a friend sent me an email; he said, "Did you hear a plane crashed into the World Trade Center?" Like many of you, my first thought was some poor person had a heart attack while flying a small plane and crashed. At that point, who could conceive of someone purposefully flying a plane into a building? Then someone told me another plane had crashed into the other tower. And then we knew...and it seemed to get worse and worse.

A bright blue September sky, with just the right amount of crisp coolness in the airI will never seem so innocent again. Remember what a beautiful day it started out to be?

Where were you when it happened? What were you doing? Did you spend a few days glued to the tv, hoping for a bit of good news?

Short Story Sunday Peril No. 2: "Bored Tom", from - Strange Happenings: Five Tales of Transformation by Avi

It's a VERY good thing that my Nana taught me that those who say they're bored are boring; as a consequence, I NEVER say I'm bored; in fact, I rarely am! Who wants to be thought of as boring? Of course, some people might think it of me anyway, but that's their problem.

Basically, this short story is a caution to children...be careful what you wish for...and also, enjoy life! Find SOMETHING you enjoy...anything...*shudder*

This was also the message of the movie, Harold and Maude...but I digress.

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

And this is what it was cropped from:

It's a tent caterpillar cocoon...

No one got this correct...but Michelle was the closest:

Michelle: "Something sticky with stuff stuck on it...it's the best I got this week!"

There were some hysterical answers tho:

Shirley: "It's clearly an alien at the (frosted glass) door . With their hand up. Y'know, like ET Go Home, but in green."

ME: "is it Gauguin's "Tahitian Girl In Saran Wrap""

As always, thanks for playing! By the way, all photos used in What Is It Wednesday are marked as "private" in my flickr account...that's so no one can view the picture at a bigger size to get a better look!

So this week...

What is it?

Thirteen Things: The One About Me

Yes, I know I said I was going to highlight a blog I love each week, but I don't feel like it this week...!

1. I love my new laptop! My brother finally hooked up wireless access, and I can use it anywhere in the house! Woohoo!
2. Carl's Book Challenge has inspired me to read, read, and read some more. I swear last night was the first night I've watched tv in quite some time, and it was cause I was in mourning over finishing Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series (review to come soon!)
3. My Tivo died awhile back; the new one arrived today. I hooked it up and it'll be interesting to see if my tv viewing habits return.
4. I bought a new vac...yes, I got a Dyson! I got it and put it together two days ago, and have yet to give it a whirl...Saturday morning, for sure!
5. Work has been so much better lately with a boss that appreciates me. Not sure WHY I need that so much, but I do.
6. Wolf is driving me insane right now! He wants me to pet him and scratch him and I'm trying to write this. A determined Shiba is hard to ignore! He grabs me with his claws and holds on...then he whines...then he makes the sad Shiba eyes at me ... I'm a baaaaaad mommy to ignore him!
7. Speaking of Wolf, he's been on a NO SNACKS FROM DAD diet for a month or so and he's looking slim and trim! One cup of food a day, 1/2 in the morning, 1/2 at night and he seems to be good to go. I started using a new food, same brand name...Innova, this food is called EVO, and it's all organic. They love it!
8. Got a wedding to shoot this Saturday and another the end of the month, that one is in St. Thomas! I refused payment for either wedding because I'm just not comfortable taking money from friends. The bride & groom from the second wedding, however, bought me a round trip ticket to St. Thomas and paid for my hotel. DAMN that girl! Kidding, I'm psyched as hell to be going, and also that she's getting married...she had a rough time of it for awhile, and things have been working out great for her lately! Go Azzy! Hopefully I'll be able to indulge my craving to swim in the ocean while I'm there.
9. Strangely, it seems as if I've taken a vow of silence. I'm really not talking much, at work or at home. In fact, some days I can almost go without talking to anyone at work. Not sure this is a good thing; I get too used to the quiet and get irritated when it's not quiet.
10. I've fallen in love with a British tv show, The Vicar of DIbley. Ironically enough, I'd bought this as a present for my cousin awhile back...she has good taste!
11. Fall has arrived a bit early here; the leaves are changing and falling.
12. Friday I have a hair appointment...not sure whether I'm going to go silver or honey blond with red highlights. What do you think?
13. My tattoo is completely healed! I do think that I'm going to ask my tattoo guy to outline it with a thin line of black...it doesn't really stand out much...matches my skin tone LOL!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It's easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

The Photo Thursday at Create a Connection hostess this month, Becca says:

Today we're posting about birthdays! They can be yours, someone in your family, your pet, a friend... it doesn't matter! Show us some really fun pictures from birthday parties you've attended.

Here's a picture that was one of the first I took on my 50th birthday 21st anniversary of my 29th birthday this past June; it's from a bouquet sent to me by my friend, MaryEllen:

Unfortunately this next one is a bit washed out from the flash, but here's a shot of a group of my friends that went to Vegas to celebrate my birthday with me:

Jim, Megan, Diane, Maureen, Betsy, Heather

Pull up a chair, make yourself comfy, sit and read for a bit ;-)

Carl has posted (a bit early, yippee!) his 2007 R.I.P. (Readers Imbibing Peril) Autumn Reading Challenge! He describes it as: "...a September 1st through October 31st celebration of all tales gothic, eerie, creepy, and dark. Tales that one reads in the dark of night, experiencing delicious shivers of terror and suspense at each creak of the floorboards or each gust of wind." Shiver me timbers!

I'm so excited about this; I immediately placed an order for the following books that have been on my wish list for some time:

- The Other by Thomas Tryon (I read this back in the 70s and am eager to read it again!)
- Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest
- Strangers by Taichi Yamada

I also ordered:

- I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

And Carl mentioned this bunch, which I added to my list:

- Strange Happenings: Five Tales of Transformation by Avi
- Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
- Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (I also ordered the other two in the trilogy, New Moon and Eclipse)

I have a book of scary stories* at home, the first one I ever read as a child which started me on this life long path of loving to read things scary...can't remember the name of it, but I'll add it to the list tonight!

***UPDATED***
*More Tales to Tremble By (Whitman Classics) by Stephen P Sutton (Editor), Gordon Laite (Illustrator)

I will be participating in "Peril the First" (read four books of any length, from any subgenre of scary stories that you choose), supplemented by the "Short Story Sunday Peril"; which involves simply reading one R.I.P. short story per weekend.

If you play, please link back to me and leave me a comment letting me know you played, so I can come visit!

In honor of Krista and Matt, who are getting married Saturday, we'll make this a wedding Fill-In!

1. I met him/her _____.
2. We dated _____ before we got engaged.
3. I knew he/she was the one _____.
4. The thing I like best about him/her _____.
5. When he/she proposed _____.
6. The song we had/want at our wedding _____.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____!

For those of you not inclined to do this one, I give you the Food FIll-In Friday!

1. Chips or chocolate? _____.
2. Pickles on your hamburger? _____
3. Baked potato: with everything or _____.
4. The perfect meal _____.
5. Martinis, wine, beer or _____.
6. Your favorite pirate is (technically not food, but still yummy)_____.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____!

1. I met him /her at a camera store for the first one; at work for the second.
2. We dated 1.5 years for the first; 9 months for the second before we got engaged.
3. I knew he/she was the one um...never felt that, not with either husband. Weird, eh?
4. The thing I like(d) best about him /her many things, including our mutual love of photography and celebrating holidays for the first one; not much about the second one (I'd say his romantic ways, but those ended the second we got married).
5. When he /she proposed we were dancing to the Squeeze song, Tempted, at a nightclub in Lowell for the first; for the second, I don't recall a proposal, just discussions (he had received orders to PCS to Japan).
6. The song we had/want at our wedding none, there was no music at either ceremony.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to seeing Qiana and getting my hair done, tomorrow my plans include photographing Krista's wedding and Sunday, I want to relax!

1. Chips or chocolate? chips, please.
2. Pickles on your hamburger? sure, and on my hotdogs too!
3. Baked potato: with everything or with salt, pepper, a little butter...perfect!
4. The perfect meal is one I had at Todd English's Tuscany; it was an appetizer of foie gras, cheese, honey and bread. Delish!
5. Martinis, wine, beer or whatever, it depends on my mood.
6. Your favorite pirate is (technically not food, but still yummy) Captain Jack Sparrow, of course.

Dog's Eye View tagged me awhile ago for a meme created by Dancin' Fool; since I'm in the mood for a meme (c'mon, you know you sang along with that), here it is!

01. If you could have super powers what would they be and what would you do with them? (Please feel free to be selfish, you do not have to save the world!).
Hmmm...I'd love the ability to fly! Imagine just being able to take off and soar, oh man!

02. Were you to find yourself stranded on an island with a CD player...it could happen...what would your top 10 bloggers island discs be?
Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, the Harry Potter audio CDs, LOTR audio CDs, maybe some old Cat Stevens, T. Rex...

03. If you were a smell what would it be?
Something spicy, incense-y, sweet

04. What bird would you most like to be?
An owl; they're night birds, quiet mostly, and spectacular looking!

05. If you were a bird who's head would you poo on?
Just bushes & shrubs ;-)

06. Are there any foods that your body craves?
Funny you should ask...lately it's been green peppers and I don't even really like them! I was just thinking about that last night when I made American Chop Suey.

07. What's your favourite time of year?
Autumn, without a doubt. The foliage, the pumpkins & apples, the crisp air, just a hint of coldness coming around the corner and best of all, I can finally take the dogs to the beach again to romp and run and dig in the sand!

08. What's your favourite time of day?
I think it's late at night...no distractions, it's quiet, people are sleeping...

09. If a rest is as good as a change which would you choose?
A change...I need one badly.

10. If you could have a dinner party and invite any 5 people from the past or present who would they be? (Living or deceased.)
Mom, Nana, Grandma, Michele & Sue (friends of mine who've drifted away)

Anyone want to play, consider themselves tagged :-)

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code. Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants.

Photoshopped plastic

"Real" plastic

Friday, I got my hair taken care of. No, I didn't go silver. Not brave enough yet, I guess. Got a lovely shade of dark honey and platinum-y highlights.

Saturday: Went to Sephora, where they were offering free foundation consultations. I got a mini-facial from a Dr. Perricone rep; fantastic stuff, but so.damn.pricey.!!! Then a Stila rep did my makeup. Got many compliments from friends at the wedding I went to that evening, as they're not used to seeing me wear much makeup at all :-)

Michelle and me, photo taken by Michelle's husband, A

Took 200+ pictures at Krista's wedding; of course, I like only about 5 of them LOL! Since the bride & groom haven't seen any of the shots, I really shouldn't share ... but ... oh, well, here. They go from this:

to this:

and this:

with a little bit of this thrown in:

and this

"I don't know why you people are getting so dressed up, but I hope there's food involved!" - Bonbon the corgi

Sunday, I relaxed, tried to catch up on sleep, reading, cleaning, etc. My brother and I took Dad out to lunch; new-ish Italian place...NOT very good at all. Overcooked pasta, not so tasty sauce, frozen veal & fish; as my brother said, when you're served cold bread that should be served warm, you know that what's to follow won't be so good either. As none of us had come CLOSE to finishing the meal (I think the staff knew better than to ask, "Was everything ok?"), we all went for an ice cream for dessert at a local dairy farm:

(look at it with your head tilted to the right, it won't look so much like the Leaning Tower of Pisa that way!)

Patiently waiting for his or her owners to return with ice cream!

When I got home, I finished working on the wedding photos. Phew!

How was your weekend?

If you'd like to play, click here!

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Rita :: meter maid
2. Comedy :: show
3. Polar :: bear
4. Idiots :: irk me
5. Perception :: isn't always correct at first glance
6. Infected :: by prejudice
7. Fake :: tits
8. Relating :: to other Snape lovers
9. Distraction :: many
10. Gamble :: on love

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

And while this isn't what it was cropped from, it's prettier than just an ear of corn!

20+ people commented...and 20+ people got it right! I like to toss in an easy one from time to time :-)

As always, thanks for playing! By the way, all photos used in What Is It Wednesday are marked as "private" in my flickr account...that's so no one can view the picture at a bigger size to get a better look!

So this week...

What is it?

Ahoy lads and lassies, landlubbers and old salts, all manner of Brethren of the Coast! Arrrr, tis Talk Like A Pirate Day, me buckos! Shiver me timbers, tis a fine Wednesday, two days t' Friday and we're over t' stress o' aft t' weekend Monday.

Some scurvy sea dogs hae taken it a step further and made it "Talk and Dress Like A Pirate Day"! Matey, tis true, this saucy wench did t'ink 'bout it, but me workplace be so full of bilge-sucking deck hands (begad, more than a few I should like ta send ta Davy Jones' locker...as Cap'n Barbossa did say: "Here there be monsterrrs"), I thought it best t' wear me regular clothin', blast it!

Last year, this wench were busy preparin' for a blasted privateer's inspection; this year, there'll be none o' that bunghole twistin'! Arrrrrrrrr!!! Bring on the rum!

Arrrr, if any of ye poxy addlepates wants ta be talkin' like a pirate, this'll be the site ye'll be lookin' for. Laura, that lovely lass from a landlocked place, will once again be responsible for titivatin' tha jollyboat, or it'll be kiss the gunner's daughter for ya, ye scurvy sprog!

And me beauties, ifn yer wants ter dress up yer blog in honor o' this fine day, head straight t' weeworld, where they have lots o' piratey goodness! Arrr!

Fair winds to ye...drink up me hearties, yo ho!

1. Green Pond

2. Helloooooooooo00000ooooooo!!!

3. Pumpkin notes

4. Climbing bride

5. Isolation

6. Glass wall

7. Six pack

8. "This might be too bright"

9. 5 o'clock shadow

10. Just married

11. Black and green

12. Feather and rocks

13. Meri

The Photo Thursday at Create a Connection hostess this month, Becca says:

"Today we're discussing/showing off those crazy kids. Now, i don't have human children, but i do have 4-legged and very furry children. And oh boy, are they crazy at times!

Now it's your turn to show me some of your babies and the funny things they like to do. Human children and furry children alike! Heck, even bird children..."

Oh, this one is SOSOSO easy! I'm going to limit it to pets I have now, else...it could go on and on and on (there's 17 pictures as it is).

First up:

Max RARELY plays with any of the gabillion dog toys laying about...but every now and then, after Wolf has gone to bed, he'll take one of the furries and chew on it ;-)

Max LOVES to model clothing...NOT!

Max is a great beggar! I used to call him Circus Dog cause he'd hop after me on two legs to get a treat :-)

And he loves to play the 1-2-3 game! I say, Maaaaax, 1...2...THREE and he GRABS my hand with his teeth. Not too hard, he's a smart boy :-)

Transition photo; Max and Wolf

Max behaves himself...Wolf, not so much!

But if you catch him at something, he'll give you his version of a goofy grin (kinda looks scary to me, but he tries)

Wolf is such a goofy dog!

He likes to dress up for his Auntie Michelle

HAHAHAH Aren't I so funny??!

Nothing is sacred to a shiba

You KNOW he's thinking of a plan to get me back for this indignity!

You see, it's all my Dad's fault!

Wolf gets to model stuff, too!

And he LOVES corn!

He'll sit near the stove for HOURS hoping for something good to appear!

OMG pasta!!!

And he loooooves to lick...I call him my licky boy. Shhhh...

If you play, please link back to me and leave me a comment letting me know you played, so I can come visit!

1. I think _____.
2. I desire _____.
3. What if _____.
4. The best thing about _____.
5. When will _____.
6. The best thing that happened to me so far this week _____.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____!

1. I think... it's time for a change.
2. I desire... a wicked dirty martini.
3. What if... everyone got what they wanted, would they still want it?
4. The best thing about... New England is autumn.
5. When will... I feel grown up?
6. The best thing that happened to me so far this week... was the amazing comments I got on my photography! Thank all of you :-)
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to... doing a bit of shopping and calling Gaylen to wish her a happy birthday, tomorrow my plans include... getting an oil change, giving Wolf a bath, going to the beach and Sunday, I want to... read and relax!

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code. Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants.

This Saturday's theme is paper...what pops into my mind when I think of paper are three things in quick succession: newpaper, writing paper, wrapping paper. But there are so many more things made with paper!

My address book and the card below it, both made of paper

Here are some cute little post it notes I bought in Japan when I lived there (yes, I still have them LOL)!

My three favorite guys...all printed on paper!

I had a great entry for this...and the dreaded blue screen popped up on my lovely Dell laptop. Grrrrrrr!

Anyway, here's a recap: BPAL, Lurid Library, Poppets, vampires, autumn leaves, cider donuts, hooray.

That is all.

If you'd like to play, click here!

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Singles :: bar
2. Blaze :: of glory
3. Sandwich :: fixings
4. Outside :: is hot
5. Gooey :: oooey
6. Industry :: film
7. Exclusive :: deal
8. Warranty :: is void
9. Magical :: happenings
10. Heels :: head over

I had no idea my blog friend, Lisa hosted Manic Monday! If I can revert to pirate talk for a mo'...well, blow me down and shiver me timbers!

Here we go:

You've won $100,000 -- but have to give it all away. To which charity or institution would you donate it? I'd donate it to Buddy Dog in Sudbury, MA...it's a no kill shelter, which means they need lots of dog and cat food. Plus it's where I got my dog, Max, so I think of them with fondness.

Max, pretending to be vicious!

What do you think is the most soothing sound? Without a doubt, rain. One of my favorite places to be during a rain storm is in my bed, curled up with a good book and a warm blanket.

Stormy day

Does time heal all wounds? Physical wounds, yes. Emotional wounds...well, as time passes, the ache gets a bit less, but the wound, unfortunately, never completely goes away.

Time healed this (self-inflicted) wound...

Great questions, Lisa!

Tori tagged me with this book meme recently; can't turn down a fellow New Englandah, now can I!

Here goes:

My reading: It has tapered off drastically these last few years. There was a time I would go through 3 books in a weekend, reading at the beach, in the backyard, wherever I found myself. Not so anymore. I'm not sure why! Let's blame the internet...in fact, I'd be reading The Ghost At The Table by Suzanne Berne right now if I wasn't doing this meme! Ahhhh, distractions ;-)

Total number of books owned: I have two boxes of books in storage, and after doing a quick check of the bookshelves here, 238...so probably close to 300, maybe 350.

Last book bought: Eclipse (the third of the Twilight series) by Stephanie Meyer.

Last book read: Eclipse. I was so glad I read about this series on Carl's blog; they're for young adults (as is the Harry Potter series). The main characters are Bella, a human teen; her new boyfriend, Edward, a gorgeous vampire (his equally gorgeous "family" also plays a prominent role in the books) and Jacob Black, Bella's friend from childhood, who happens to become a werewolf. I have to say the stories totally sucked me in and made me care about the characters! Even when you want to roll your eyes and say, get a GRIP, Bella, you still can't stop reading!

Five meaningful books:

- In HIs Own Write, by John Lennon. I got this when I was a kid, under 12...and loved it! DIdn't understand half of it, and looking at it now...um...OMG LOL!

- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien: Oh, I fell in love with this story when I was 14. My friend Pat and I had hitchhiked to a bookstore in the next town over, and I was just browsing the titles. I already had a Richard Brautigan in hand when I noticed The Hobbit. PIcked it up, read a few pages...and I was HOOKED I remember seeing the date it was first published (9/21/37) and asking my mother if she'd ever read it when she was young; she said it wasn't her cup of tea.

- The Stand, by Stephen King: I sat on the porch and read it cover to cover when it first came out in 1978. I loved the story, good against evil (maybe this was why I never wanted to go to Vegas LOL) . What a disappointment the movie was!

- Hokkaido Highway Blues by Will Ferguson: I read this a couple years after coming back from Japan, and can remember nodding my head and smiling at so many different points in the story. The premise? Simple; he was going to hitchhike from one end of Japan to the other, following the cherry blossoms :-)

- Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling: My favorite of the Harry Potter books, mainly because it was all about Snape. What an amazing character he was!

Thanks, Tori, that was fun!

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

And this is what it was cropped from:

This is the other side of the statue:

It's a statue remembering the victims of the Irish potato famine. Apparently there are a couple of these statues around, one in Boston proper and this one in Cambridge. Hmmm...

Anyway, there were some funny and creative guesses last week!!!

- Carl: "Looks like that hand of some ghost pervert, reaching out to goose some poor unsuspecting lady waiting for the subway." Kinda!!!

- SwordGirl: "It looked like an asteroid at first being viewed in a movie theater with the red movie lights below." Can't get more creative than that! Did any of you see that? I did, after she pointed it out LOL!

- Lisa: "A creepy hand reaching out from the great beyond to cop a little feel just one more time." What's on y'all's minds??

As always, thanks for playing! By the way, all photos used in What Is It Wednesday are marked as "private" in my flickr account...that's so no one can view the picture at a bigger size to get a better look!

So this week...

What is it?

***STICKY ENTRY...NEWER STUFF BELOW****

hmmmm...well here's a story:

She was browsing through an old, slightly cobwebby and musty book store one day when she first saw it. You could hear the crashing thunder and see faint flickrs of lighting from outside, but she was lost in a story...The Lurid Library, by Severus Snape.

Do go on...

If you play, please link back to me and leave me a comment letting me know you played, so I can come visit!

I was away photographing a friend's wedding in St. Thomas, so we'll have the Friday Fill-In on Sunday! Sorry about that! Will a picture help?

Without further ado, here you go!

1. Sunburn _____.
2. Pirates _____.
3. Beach _____.
4. The best thing about "Island time" is _____.
5. Rum punch _____.
6. Snorkeling _____.
7. And as for the weekend, Friday I _____, Saturday my plans included _____ and Sunday, I _____!

1. Sunburn HURTS, but fades to a nice tan.
2. Pirates ...arrrrhhhh! Pirates!
3. Beach time was my next to the favorite thing to do on St. Thomas.
4. The best thing about "Island time" is nothing ever happens on time and it feels like I belong for once!
5. Rum punch is delicious.
6. Snorkeling is best at night, when you can see all sorts of things!
7. And as for the weekend, Friday I took the above photo (and got locked out on the balcony of my room, more about that later), Saturday my plans included eating brunch with the bride and groom and their friends and family; going to St. John and snorkeling; and eating a lovely dinner at sunset and Sunday, I spent all day flying, dammit!